Easy Lemon Sorbet Recipe - Only 3 Ingredients! - Ice Cream From Scratch (2024)

ByChrystalPosted on

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An easy recipe for a tangy and sweet no churn lemon sorbet! This homemade lemon sorbet recipe is the perfect summer treat, uses simple ingredients, and it’s refreshing. No ice cream maker required, but you can use one if you like to make this zesty 3-ingredient lemon sorbet recipe.

Easy Lemon Sorbet Recipe - Only 3 Ingredients! - Ice Cream From Scratch (1)

Love fruity frozen treats and homemade ice cream? You might like this Black Raspberry Ice Cream recipe. Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream is also simple to make and is no-churn.

Did you know that in Italy they use lemon sorbet as a palate cleanser? If you’re looking for another lemon flavored frozen treat to cleanse your palate, try this Lemon Ice Cream next. You might also like this Lime Sherbet.

WHY YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE THIS LEMON SORBET RECIPE

  • You’re going to love this homemade lemon sorbet recipe. It’s refreshing, tangy, and it reminds me of a frozen lemonade. It’s the perfect frozen treat!
  • This lemon sorbet recipe uses a few simple ingredients and it’s ready same-day.
  • You don’t need an ice cream maker to make this lemon sorbet recipe, but you can if you like.
  • This light dessert is the perfect balance between sweet and tart.
Easy Lemon Sorbet Recipe - Only 3 Ingredients! - Ice Cream From Scratch (2)

INGREDIENTS IN LEMON SORBET

  • Water – Cold water helps add to the texture and balances out the lemon and sugar. We don’t count water as an ingredient because it’s available in every kitchen.
  • Sugar – Adds sweetness and is the base of our simple syrup. We haven’t tried this sorbet with a sugar substitute yet, like agave nectar, but let us know in the comments if you use a sugar substitute.
  • Lemon Juice– The star of this sorbet! All the lemon flavor. We recommend fresh lemon juice, and not bottled lemon juice.
  • Lemon Zest – Lemon peel adds extra flavor.

Have you made sorbet with Meyer lemons? If so, let us know. If you have any questions about the ingredients, please leave a comment below.

Easy Lemon Sorbet Recipe - Only 3 Ingredients! - Ice Cream From Scratch (3)

HOW TO MAKE LEMON SORBET

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the water and sugar, and boil until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute.
  2. Remove from heat and allow the syrup to completely cool.
  3. Once cool, stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
  4. Pour the mixture into a 9×5 metal baking pan or freezer-safe container.
  5. Freeze until firm (about 4 hours), stirring with a fork every thirty minutes for the first 3 hours. This is important. Don’t skip this step if you aren’t using an ice cream machine.
  6. Store this frozen dessert covered in the freezer for up to 3 months.

These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes only. Please see the printable recipe card below.

HOW TO STORE LEMON SORBET

Store this fresh lemon sorbet in the freezer in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper pressed on top for up to 3 months. The parchment paper will help prevent ice crystals.

Easy Lemon Sorbet Recipe - Only 3 Ingredients! - Ice Cream From Scratch (4)

TIPS FOR MAKING THIS HOMEMADE LEMON SORBET

  • Use Fresh Lemons – Fresh, standard lemons that you find at the grocery store are best.
  • Stirring – Stirring the lemon sorbet every thirty minutes adds air to the sorbet, making it smoother and easier to scoop.
  • Tartness – If you like a less tart flavor, increase the sugar to 1 ½ cups and decrease the lemon zest to 1 tablespoon.
  • Icy Sorbet – If the lemon sorbet is too icy, allow it to soften for 20 minutes, add it to a food processor, process and refreeze.
  • Don’t skimp on the sugar –Sugar not only adds sweetness to homemade sorbets, it also helps with the texture and helps prevent sorbets from being too icy.
  • Scooping it – If the sorbet is too firm to scoop, allow it to sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes, or until it softens enough to scoop. If it’s a hot summer day, it should only take 5-10 minutes.

Fruit sorbets are perfect any time of year.

Easy Lemon Sorbet Recipe - Only 3 Ingredients! - Ice Cream From Scratch (5)

HOW TO MAKE LEMON SORBET IN AN ICE CREAM MAKER

This lemon sorbet recipe works well in ice cream machines. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for sorbets and then cover tightly and freeze until you’re ready to serve.

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Easy Lemon Sorbet Recipe - Only 3 Ingredients! - Ice Cream From Scratch (6)

Easy Lemon Sorbet Recipe - Only 3 Ingredients!

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 25 minutes

An easy recipe for a tangy and sweet no churn lemon sorbet! Ice cream machine instructions included.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (8 oz.) water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups (16 oz.) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 14 large lemons worth)
  • 2 packed tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the water and sugar, and boil until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute.
  2. Remove from heat and allow the syrup to completely cool.
    Once cool, stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
  3. Pour the mixture into a 9x5 metal baking pan.
  4. Freeze until firm (about 4 hours), stirring with a fork every thirty minutes for the first 3 hours. This is important. Don’t skip this step if you aren’t using an ice cream machine.
  5. Store covered in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

  • Stirring the lemon sorbet every thirty minutes adds air to the sorbet, making it smoother and easier to scoop.
  • If the sorbet is too firm to scoop, allow it to sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes, or until it softens enough to scoop.
  • If you like it less tart, increase the sugar to 1 ½ cups and decrease the lemon zest to 1 tablespoon.
  • You can use Meyer lemons in this lemon sorbet recipe.
  • Ice cream machine – This lemon sorbet recipes works well in ice cream makers. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for sorbets and then cover tightly and freeze until you’re ready to serve.
Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 97Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 25gProtein: 0g

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More lemon recipes.

Chrystal

I believe you can make amazing ice cream recipes at home using only a handful of ingredients, and minimal steps. I’m here to share my tried-and-true ice cream recipes with you!

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Easy Lemon Sorbet Recipe - Only 3 Ingredients! - Ice Cream From Scratch (11)

Meet CHRYSTAL

Chrystal is a long time recipe developer, food photographer, and ice cream enthusiast. We're sharing easy-to-make ice cream recipes. No-churn, no problem! Like using an ice cream maker? Yay! If it's ice cream, uses ice cream, served with ice cream, or is loosely related to ice cream, we're making it.

About Chrystal

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Easy Lemon Sorbet Recipe - Only 3 Ingredients! - Ice Cream From Scratch (2024)

FAQs

What is lemon sorbet made of? ›

Stir lemon syrup with peel, lemon juice, and mineral water together in a pitcher or bowl. Pour into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Garnish each serving with a twist of lemon peel. If you do not have an ice cream maker, you may freeze it in a tall canister.

What makes sorbet so creamy? ›

Without fat from dairy or eggs, it's the suspension of sugar within the fruit purée that allows the sorbet to churn into something with a creamy mouthfeel. You need 20-30% sugar in your sorbet, which will come from your fruit plus some added sugar.

Why won t my lemon sorbet freeze? ›

If using lemon or lime juice, it's too intense on its own so start by diluting it with some water. 2 parts juice, 1 part water is a good starting point. 1-2 tbsp liqueur for flavor, but also prevents the sorbet from freezing solid.

What are three sorbet flavors? ›

These icy treats are perfectly refreshing on a hot day or as an after-dinner dessert. Learn how to make sorbet with our indulgent recipes including lemon, raspberry and pineapple. Sorbet is a great vegan ice cream alternative as it usually doesn't contain dairy.

What's the difference between lemon sorbet and lemon sherbet? ›

Sherbets are often flavored with fruit that has an acidic punch, like lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, raspberry, or pineapple. The texture is also usually a bit softer than sorbet, which can firm up a bit solidly due to the higher water content.

Is lemon sorbet healthier than ice cream? ›

Sorbet has less calories than ice cream and other frozen desserts, and no fat. It's fruit content also makes it rich in vitamin C. Any downsides? That fruit content also means it contains a fair bit of sugar, and if we're comparing it with ice cream and gelato, it has less calcium, vitamin A and iron.

What is the secret to good sorbet? ›

The Master Ratio

If you don't know the exact sugar content of your fruit, the best thing you can do is play it safe. A sugar concentration between 20% to 30% will generally produce a scoopable, creamy sorbet. * Add less and your sorbet is too icy to scoop; add more and it may never freeze.

What to add to sorbet to keep it soft? ›

By adding some other sugar(s) than the ordinary white (sucrose), we can affect the crystallisation in ways that hamper the formation of icy crystals (keeping the sorbet soft) but without making it overly sweet. Glucose- and corn syrups are handy here.

Why put egg whites in sorbet? ›

The optional egg white helps to stabilize, emulsify, and preserve the texture of the sorbet if you are going to keep it in your freezer for a few days.

What is a substitute for sorbet stabilizer? ›

There are plenty of alternatives.
  • First you can simply skip adding stabilizers at all. ...
  • Gelatin. ...
  • Gelatin + Xanthan gum. ...
  • Locust Bean Gum (LBG) ...
  • Tara gum. ...
  • Guar Gum. ...
  • LBG+Guar. ...
  • LBG+Guar+Lambda Carrageenan.

What happens if you use too much sugar in the sorbet? ›

Making Perfectly Smooth Sorbet

Too little sugar and the sorbet becomes icy, too much and it can be slushy — hit the sugar level just right and the sorbet will taste creamy and melt evenly across your tongue. There's a very simple way to tell if your sugar levels are right: Float a large egg in the sorbet base.

Why is my homemade sorbet icy? ›

Too little sugar and you end up with loads of crunchy ice crystals. Some experts swear by a ratio of 4 cups puréed fruit to 1 cup sugar. If you don't have an ice-cream maker, place the sorbet mixture in a sealed container in the very coldest part of your freezer (usually at the bottom and back).

Is dirty ice cream sorbet? ›

Sorbetes acquired the name "dirty ice cream" as a joke, due to the fact that it is sold on the streets.

What is the ice cream with 3 flavors called? ›

Neapolitan ice cream, also sometimes referred to as Harlequin ice cream, is an ice cream composed of three separate flavors (typically vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry) arranged side by side in the same container, usually without any barrier between them.

Is sherbet the same as sorbet? ›

The major difference between the two is that sherbet is made with dairy and sorbet isn't. Sherbet has more of a creamy texture that you'd expect from ice cream thanks to ingredients like milk, heavy cream, or buttermilk in the mix. Sorbet, on the other hand, is simply sugar and fruit.

What is a sorbet made of? ›

Sorbet is a non-dairy frozen dessert made from puréed fruit or fruit juice mixed with water and sugar. It should be made up of very fine grains, and contain no large crystals of ice. In some countries, a small amount of milk might be added to sorbet, but this is not the case in the UK.

Is sorbet actually healthy? ›

In theory, a fruit sorbet is healthy, but most commercial varieties are based on sugar rather than fruit. If you love frozen fruit, make sorbet at home by blending fresh or frozen fruit with a little ice.

What makes sorbet different from ice cream? ›

Sorbets are water-based and made with fruit, fruit juice, fruit flavours and sugar. This summer favourite contains no fat but has a higher sugar percentage compared to its freezer family members, ice cream and gelato. Sorbets also offload an acidic sweetness that is created by using fruits and sugar.

What is lemon sherbet made of? ›

All you do is stir together equal amounts of lemon juice, heavy whipping cream, and milk. Then just sweeten the mixture with sugar. Because the tartness of the lemons can vary depending on the lemons you use, taste the mixture as you may have to add more sugar.

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